New study shows low vitamin D intake may lead to greater cognitive decline

Researchers out of the University of Kentucky have found that low vitamin D intake may lead to brain damage as we age, according to results of their new animal study.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in older adults. As people get older, their skin becomes thinner. This limits the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun. This, paired with limited mobility and outdoor activity, further increases the risk of vitamin D deficiency among the elderly.

Recently, researchers wanted to take a closer look at the relationship between vitamin D deficiency, aging, and cognitive decline and see if increasing vitamin D intake in rats slowed cognitive decline as they aged.

“Given that vitamin D deficiency is especially widespread among the elderly, we investigated how during aging from middle-age to old-age how low vitamin D affected the oxidative status of the brain,” said Dr. Allan Butterfield, who was involved in the study.

The researchers divided the rats into three groups:

One group received 100 IU of vitamin D/kg of food

One group received 1,000 IU of vitamin D/kg of food

One group received 10,000 IU of vitamin D/kg of food

After being fed these diets for 4-5 months, the researchers found that the rats on the low vitamin D diets had higher levels of free radical damage to the brain and to various brain proteins. The rats on this low vitamin D diet also scored significantly lower on tests of learning and memory.